GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — No. 1 Manitowoc Lutheran swept No. 4 Wabeno/Laona (25-13, 25-17, 25-18) in the WIAA State Girls Volleyball Division 4 Semifinal.
The Lancers were led by sophomore outside hitter Ava Stuebs, who finished with 24 kills.
"Ava is our spark plug," Manitowoc Lutheran Head Coach Lacey Behnke said. "We ride the wave of Ava. She's always been our leader. She loves the challenge of taking the team on her back."
Stuebs said her confidence is what allows her to be so dominant.
"I've really been trying to just keep my confidence up because once I'm on a roll, then I don't know, I just can't hit it into the net anymore," Stuebs said.
Stuebs knows the job is not finished yet and is ready to compete for the state title on Saturday.
"I believe that we can win," Stuebs said. "If we play our hearts out like we do every single game, then we have it in the bag for sure."
Wabeno/Laona Head Coach Michelle Boor gave credit to the Lancers after the game.
"Hats off to Manitowoc Lutheran," Boor said. "They are incredible. We didn't have an answer for number four. [Ava Stuebs] We gave it everything we had, and everything that we tried to put down, they were picking it up."
Manitowoc Lutheran will face Regis on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at the Resch Center for the state championship.
